EASTERN CAPE | UNITED ARAB EMIRATES ROYALTY INCLUDING PRESIDENT AND A 500 PERSON ENTOURAGE ARRIVE IN THE PROVINCE

Five hundred people from the UAE, including President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, landed in the Eastern Cape this week.

The UAE royal family, staff and top artists are expected to mark the end of Ramadaan in the province.

The wealthy ruler is on holiday in the country and will be staying at a private game resort he owns.

The president of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and ruler of Abu Dhabi, Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, and his family landed in the Eastern Cape on Wednesday on a R20-million runway he built with his own money.

The wealthy ruler is in the country along with an entourage of 500, including other members of the UAE royal family, staff and top artists who are expected to perform for the family to mark the end of Ramadaan.

President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan - Wikipedia

News24 are reporting that the royal family and their guests are said to have brought their own furniture, cars and gym equipment for their two-week stay in the Eastern Cape.

On Wednesday, the UAE president joined Prince Sheikh Khalid bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, members of the UAE royal family, staff and artists, who landed at Bulembu Airport near Bhisho on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday respectively.

Al Nahyan touched down in the royal private jet on Wednesday at around 14:00 and was immediately airlifted in one of five choppers that he brought into the country on a cargo plane.

One of the choppers is an air ambulance, the protection unit will use another, one transports the president, while the other two have supplies.

The Daily Maverick says Eastern Cape premier Oscar Mabuyane’s office said this was a private visit and not at the invitation of the premier. Khuselwa Rantje, the Eastern Cape government’s head of communication, said the airport was, in line with South Africa’s protocols, temporarily designated as a port of entry to enable the passage of the UAE leader. 

“All relevant resources have been put in place at the airport to ensure adherence to the laws of the country,” she said.

Academics have characterized Mohamed as the strongman leader of an authoritarian regime. In 2019, The New York Times named him as the most powerful Arab ruler and one of the most powerful men on Earth. 

He was also named as one of the 100 Most Influential People of 2019 by Time. 

Mohamed is regarded by the Royal Islamic Strategic Studies Centre as the eighth-most influential Muslim in the world in 2023

NEWS24 | DAILY MAVERICK | WIKIPEDIA